The Gift of Solitude

["Turn your loneliness into solitude, and your solitude into prayer." -E. Elliott]

In the busyness of college life, sometimes there is a great struggle to find solitude. Perhaps my mommy-friends can relate, or my friends who work full time jobs and come home to spend the rest of their time in some kind of ministry or community outreach. Go, go, go. Do, do, do. Hurry, Hurry, Hurry. At times it can seem as if life is a never ending cycle - whether its the washing machine, the online assignments to turn in before midnight, or the phone than never stops notifying...

A college friend of mine shared with me one of their favorite spots, a lake I never knew existed until just a few weeks ago. I've discovered a time in my weekly schedule to where I can put everything else down and spend a couple of hours down at the beautiful waters. As I scribbed away in my journal this morning, my thoughts and prayer were parallel to the words penned by Horatius Bonar, words with which I will leave you this weekend:

In the still air the music lies unheard;
In the rough marble beauty hides unseen.
To make the music and the beauty needs
The Master's touch, the Sculptor's chisel keen.

Great Master, touch us with Thy skillful hands;
Let not the music that is in us die;
Great Sculptor, hew and polish us, nor let
Hidden and lost, Thy form within us lie.

Spare not the stroke; do with us what Thou wilt;
Let there be naught unfinished, broken, marred;
Complete Thy purpose that we may become
Thy perfect image - Thou our God and Lord.